Theological Reflection on Forgiveness ● INTRODUCTION This essay will explore the theme of forgiveness using the theological reflective processes. Theological reflection is an essential tool in the discernment of contemporary ministry. The aim of using reflective methods in Christian life is to help people to engage in the teachings of Christ, help them live out these teachings more effectively and to be competent in proclaiming the good news (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 3). In order to achieve this, the process of theological reflection must be conversational. Meaning, it needs to consider various sources of concern and knowledge when seeking outcomes regarding an issue. Only after all sources are thoroughly considered can a pastoral response be constructed. Forgiveness is a theme which is central to the biblical story and therefore highly related to ministerial practice. Personal experience within ministry informs me how important forgiveness is within the congregation and amongst the leaders. Its importance is highlighted by Taylor Brown (1995) who communicates that unforgiveness leads to what she describes as arthritis of the spirit. It affects each individual relationship with God, relationship with themselves and relationship with others. As I explore forgiveness in this essay, I will use the Whitehead and Whitehead (1995) model and method of theological reflection. Here, the model will point to the participants in the conversation, helping us recognise the different voices and alerting us to their authority. The method in this reflection directs how the conversation proceeds, showing how the different participants in the dialogue present their case, engage one another, and move toward a practical response (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 4). Below is a visual illustration of the Whitehead model. The remainder of the essay will be structured to follow this visualisation. Subheadings will be used to guide us through the model and method. (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 6). ● THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION IN MINISTRY Whiteheads (1995) model and method of theological reflection is as follows. It begins with ‘attending’. This includes collecting various voices surrounding the theme, in this case, forgiveness. In this model, these voices include religious tradition, experience and the surrounding culture. Once these voices are collected ‘assertion’ begins. Here, we facilitate conversation between the voices. By encouraging conversation between these voices an informed ‘pastoral response’ can be drawn. 1. ATTENDING Theological reflection begins with the focus on being a listener. This stage is referred to as attending. Here, the following information regarding forgiveness is gathered. ● religious tradition, ● experience, ● and surrounding culture ‘Attending’ requires skillful listening as it aims to discern what is happening, and how God would have us respond. At times this process will lean on biblical scholarship to unpack forgiveness, especially when understanding religious tradition. However, other personal skills such as introspection, make us self aware of our personal biases when wrestling with scripture. This self-awareness is important to any believers spiritual growth, and therefore is integral to the theological reflection process. The disciplines of listening also allow us to listen to the various voices of the community. It is important to be attentive to this source of information as more often than not we tend to ignore the contribution of others whilst internally preparing our thoughts. For leaders, emphasis on listening helps community leaders know their role isn't just about guiding the community but also to learn from it. This contribution of community is only possible when ministers and theologians listen carefully and expectantly to this source. Listening skills are also required as religious leaders approach cultural sources. The effectiveness of attending depends on listening honestly to the various sources of information. Without doing this, finding a pastoral response which glorifies God can be hampered (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 13-14). The religious traditions Religious traditions reflect knowledge from Christian history. Imbedded in these traditions are beliefs and convictions so when we face a particular ministry concern, we turn instinctively to these sources to guide our response (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 6). By exploring religious traditions we become aware of their roles in our christian life. We hold the understanding that the bible as scripture is God's revelations rather than a framework of human ideals. Thus, as we reflect on forgiveness above, listening to the voice of religious tradition and scripture is valuable (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 7). But how do we listen? Christian traditions are often metaphors which offer trustworthy scripts of generosity and self-sacrifice, of justice and charity-as we struggle to make sense of our personal and shared lives (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 7). Historically, the tradition developed as Christianity interacted with different cultural contexts and challenges. Recognizing this process can ministerial communities appreciate more clearly the tradition's flexibility and breadth (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 8).Religious traditions reflect knowledge from Christian history. Imbedded in these traditions are beliefs and convictions so when we face a particular ministry concern, we turn instinctively to these sources to guide our response (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 6). By exploring religious traditions we become aware of their roles in our christian life. We hold the understanding that the bible as scripture is God's revelations rather than a framework of human ideals. Thus, as we reflect on forgiveness above, listening to the voice of religious tradition and scripture is valuable as it reveals to us practices of confession and penance (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 7). But how do we listen to these practices? Christian traditions are often metaphors which offer trustworthy scripts of generosity and self-sacrifice, of justice and charity-as we struggle to make sense of our personal and shared lives (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 7). Historically, the tradition developed as Christianity interacted with different cultural contexts and challenges. Recognizing this process can ministerial communities appreciate more clearly the tradition's flexibility and breadth (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 8). Deep diving into traditions of confession and penance reveal the notion that forgiveness is two dimensional (Charles Sturt University. 2020). The first dimension is our need to be forgiven by God. This forgiveness can only be done through Christ; His death and resurrection. Because there is no other way to receive this forgiveness, recognising Christ's irreplaceable role in forgiveness is vital. Secondly, there is the human dimension. That is, the need to be forgiven by our human counterparts, and vice versa (Charles Sturt University. 2020). With this, however, it is vital that we recognise that the experience of God’s forgiveness of ourselves first is what gives us the capacity, and the resources to, in turn, forgive others. These notions regarding the necessity of forgiveness are described throughout the interwoven narratives of the bible. However, it is through the gospels that this is made the most clear. The gospel communicates this idea that, before Jesus made the word flesh, under old religious law our forgiveness by God was dependent on our forgiveness of others. In Luke 6:37, “do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven”. But Paul clarifies this for us as he communicates that now with Jesus’ death and resurrection, and us putting our faith in it, we are now “dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6). Here, Paul communicates that we don't earn forgiveness, rather it is freely given to us. And, in light of this gift, we must be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32). Furthermore, we must bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone, forgive as the Lord forgave you (Colossians 3:13) (Artlicursi. 2020). Experience The challenge of reflecting on experience is for the minister and the community to grasp their own experience about a specific pastoral concern. In this process experiences are sifted through revealing convictions, ideas, biases and feelings that are present (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 9). A particularly important component of reflecting on experience is to see how ‘feeling’ saturates our experience. By acknowledging feelings we can understand what has caused them and, therefore, how it affects forgiveness (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 9-10). In my own experience with forgiveness, ‘feelings’ were a huge obstacle. Not just feelings of resentments and anger, but feelings which arise from issues such as anxiousness. Nonetheless, my experience holds similar to what Brown (1995) communicates as she outlines the difficulty of forgiveness. Describing it as arthritis of the spirit, Brown (1995) states that not forgiving leads to anger and resentment which deforms our soul and makes us unrecognizable. She goes further to outline forgiveness as a way of life, not just a once off act. We uphold this by looking towards God, who Brown conveys created forgiveness as the cure for the deformity our resentment causes us. It is how we discover our true shape, and everytime we do it we get to be a little more alive. Even better, the necessity of forgiveness and it's our struggle to do so is recognised and, in turn, we have an advocate who seems to know that we need lots of practice with forgiveness (Taylor Brown, 1995). Personally, through my journey of forgiveness I was forced to reconcile who Jesus was in ways I had never had to before. I understand His grace and love. It was only then was I able to continue on the journey of forgiveness. From navigating my feelings of resentment, anger and guilt I saw how it can deform our perspective of Christ and His righteousness. And, therefore, the value of others in my life, as well as my willingness to forgive them. At this moment I was self-righteous and believed I was innocent and I was wronged. Whitehead (1995) points out the importance of understanding and tracking our feelings. They state that as believers come to greater consciousness and clarity about their personal feelings and convictions on a particular pastoral question, this experience can be placed in an assertive conversation (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 9-10). This holds true as it was only until I started dealing with the feeling was I able to interact with scripture effectively and recognise that I needed forgiving as well. In light of dealing with feelings, forgiveness became a repeatable task which needed to be done over a long period of time. For example, as I thought about forgiveness each day I would understand my situation better. And, more often than not, it required me to extend forgiveness. Furthermore, I noticed that my forgiveness of other people was dependent on whether or not I could forgive myself. For example, if i wasn't able to correct the resentment and agony within me, i was not able to truly forgive others. I found that even after emotions were dealt with and time was taken to think about the situation, the act of forgiveness could only be upheld by routinely placing my trust in God. In order to truly forgive we need to maintain our hope in the foundation which our forgiveness is built upon; Jesus. It is common that this foundation can ‘feel’ weakened if you don't spend time with God through prayer, scripture and worship. And, also, if we don't have people around us who help us support these practices. Furthermore, forgiveness is best experienced when acknowledged and responded to. This could be between the two parties involved in the act of forgiveness, or simply with a caring friend. Healthy affirmation can help overcome resentment and bitterness which eats at our heart and makes us paranoid. The surrounding culture Looking at the surrounding culture of forgiveness helps to examine the attitudes, values and biases that constitute my idiosyncratic social environment (Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. 1995, p. 11). When working through forgiveness one of the major difficulties I faced was the focused people had on correcting my mistakes rather than walking with me through my mistakes. I treated myself in a similar way. In order to forgive myself I attempted to change who I was. I needed to prove that I was better than I once was. Despite knowing the vanity of my efforts, I was stuck in the cycle without grace. The notion of judgement without grace is prevalent within the surrounding culture. I believe this is what Kierkegaard describes as immanent forgiveness Słowikowski, A. (2020). Forgiveness of the immanent reality is completely dependent on the victim-offender relation. Whereas, a transcendent forgiveness recognises Gods, and our need to be forgiven by Him in order to therefore extend forgiveness to others. From my understanding of culture, forgiveness is surface level. We see this in our political discourse where anyone who does support the mainstream political agenda is ‘cancelled’. This attitude also manifests itself in more personal scenarios in which we ‘unfriend’ anyone who has wronged us. This immanent focused culture fails to recognise the value of others and instead succumbs to an inflated ego of oneself. 2. ASSERTION How is (1) God revealed in all three sources? and, (2) what religious information is available in each source? Below are dot points which summarise the above voices. Religious tradition: - Everyone is in need of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift given to us by God. In light of this gift, we can extend this forgiveness to others. By trusting in God's grace and forgiving we die to what once bound us, we have been - released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. - Religious tradition such as confession and penance. Experience: - Unforgiving burdens and deforms the spirit. - We need help with forgiveness - Emotions can harm our capacity to extend forgiveness to others. - Forgiveness is a long term practice. Cultural experience - Culture fails to recognise the need for God in forgiveness. Rather, it focuses on the immediate reality at hand. - Judgement without grace. - Conversation between all All three voices within this theological reflection model identify the need for recognising God within forgiveness. They convey God is the foundation in which forgiveness is built upon. Furthermore, as we recognise our need to be forgiven by God, we receive the capacity to extend this forgiveness to others. This notion reveals a loving character of God in which there is no conflict between God's righteousness and God's love. It is the salvation of sinful people, not their punishment, that demonstrates the operation of God's righteousness and, therefore, His love. It is supremely in the Cross that God's love is manifest. God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) (Dicker, G. S. (1989). The aftermath of God's love through the cross is the necessity to forgive others as an ‘act’. By not doing this we deny others a christ-like love which in turn distorts our own soul and identity. Interestly enough these notions are highlighted through the story of the prodigal son in the stages (Smedes, L. B. 1996): 1. he rediscovers the humanity of the person who wronged him 2. He surrenders his right to get even 3. He wishes us well. 3. PASTORAL RESPONSE After theologically reflecting on forgiveness the following notions should be noted. ● True forgiveness can only be achieved by recognising God's role in forgiveness. ● Feelings hamper our capacity to forgive. We need to pay attention to feelings. ● Acts of forgiveness are important. Discussing forgiveness with trusted people who can listen carefully, without judgement, and to be affirming. ● Forgiveness must be extended to everyone. Not doing so will harm our spirit. ● The process of forgiveness is ongoing. Therefore, we must practice renewing our understanding of God's grace in our life daily through prayer, meditation on scripture, fellowship and praise & worship. Bibliography: ● Whitehead, J. D., & Whitehead, E. E. (1995). Pastoral reflection : a model and a method. In Method in ministry : theological reflection and Christian ministry (revised and updated) (pp. 3-19). Lanham, MD : Sheed & Ward. ● Charles Sturt University (2020). Topic 9 Pastoral Theology in Practice: Forgiveness [Course Notes]. Blackboard https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_i d=_48826_1&content_id=_3722836_1 ● Artlicursi. (2020). Forgiveness under pauls “the gospel of the grace of God”. http://artlicursi.com/articles/forgiveness-under-pauls-%E2%80%9C-gospel-gracegod%E2%80%9D ● Taylor Brown, B. (1995). Arthritis of the spirit. In Gospel medicine (pp. 9-13). Lanham : Cowley Publications. ● Słowikowski, A. (2020). Crossroads of forgiveness: a transcendent understanding of forgiveness in Kierkegaard’s religious writings and immanent account of forgiveness in contemporary secular and Christian ethics. Int J Philos Relig 87, 55–80. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1007/s11153-019-09733-y ● Smedes, L. B. (1996). How God forgives. In The art of forgiving : when you need to forgive and don’t know how (pp. 117-127). Nashville, Tenn. : Moorings. ● Dicker, G. S. (1989). The nature and reality of God. In Faith and understanding. (pp. 55-60). Melbourne, Vic: The Joint Board of Christian Education.
